Why you should wrap your womb

Whatever you call it – womb wrapping, belly binding, the faja (Spanish for belt, or girdle), supporting the womb by tying a piece of fabric around the lower abdomen is a great way to support womb healing. I’ve had a few questions about it, so here are some thoughts on why, when and how to wrap your womb.

The womb in her correct position should sit centrally in the pelvis, leaning forwards over the bladder and is held in place by sets of muscles and ligaments. Often, because of our lifestyle and activities, these supporting structures become compromised, either overstretched or contracted and our womb becomes tilted. Common positions are to the left or right, backwards towards the sacrum, prolapse into the vagina, and any of these positions can cause a myriad of problems for women, largely unrecognised by the medical profession.

Why wrap your womb?

When the womb is correctly aligned and supported, women experience greater physical and emotional balance. A womb not in her correct position can be the starting point for a variety of symptoms from painful menstruation, hormonal disturbances, fertility issues, pregnancy problems, menopausal symptoms – the list is almost endless.

Womb wrapping, to complement massage by a Mizan practitioner, is an important self care tool. It is best to use a light but strong piece of cloth about 3 metres long. If you have a fuller figure, you may need a longer cloth. The width should be about 25 cm. Lightweight calico is a good option, and the natural off-white colour is a good basis for decorating it; fabric paints, dyes, tie-dye – go on, express yourself.

What you’re doing by womb wrapping, is holding the womb’s supporting muscles and ligaments; no longer the sole supporters of the womb, they can go into healing mode – you’re giving them a bit of a holiday, some time off to repair themselves.

When should you wrap your womb?

It’s a good idea to book a session with a Mizan practitioner as your starting point. By palpating the lower abdomen, she will be able to feel the position of your womb and then perform a massage to help with realignment. Then, you can start your practice of womb wrapping.

Mizan treatment, self care massage as shown by your practitioner and womb wrapping almost always helps to realign your womb. The more balanced she is, the more you will feel centred and balanced, both physically and emotionally.

A good practice is to womb wrap when you’re on your feet a lot, and gravity is making it difficult to lax muscles to hold your womb in place; between ovulation and menstruation, when the womb begins to grow to become double her non-bleeding size and weight; whenever you’re doing heavy lifting; when out for a walk and I think people who run should do the self care massage and womb wrap before going out for their run, then when they finish, remove the womb wrap and do another self care massage.

Do not womb wrap during menses or in bed at night.

How to do a womb wrap?

Take your fabric and put the vertical and horizontal midpoint in the centre of your abdomen, just above the pubic bone. Holding the fabric, take it to the back, crossing it over and gradually tightening and lifting as you do so. Now, when it is comfortably tight, pass the piece you’re holding in your right hand to your left, and the piece in your left to your right, bring the ends round to the front and tie it off. If you know your womb tends to fall to the left, then tie the knot on the left side; if she falls to the right, then tie it on the right. If you are lucky enough to have a perfectly centred womb, it still feels lovely to womb wrap, but tie it off with the knot in the centre.

Here’s a short video on how to do it: https://www.mizantherapy.com/how-to-wrap-your-womb